A Ninja's Life
by ELIE
Summary: A ninja never asks. He understands. [SasuNaru]


A/N: I don't know why, butI seem to be getting really inspired these last few days.Anyway, a few information about thefic, this was inspired by my former teacherwhile she was telling the class about herlovelife.

_for Bashia and my dearer_

**A NINJA'S LIFE**

It was a simple task, really.

_Think of it as a mission,_ Kakashi-sensei advised.

If there was something in a job—a mission, even—Naruto would've found it in record time but this despicable task would—could—never help him as a ninja. He could bet his precious instant ramen on it.

And besides, he hated washing the dishes.

Back at home, the chore was still bearable. After all, he only had one plate (or bowl, usually) and a pair of chopsticks to wash. Now, he had at least quadruple the number he was used to. And this seemed so new to Naruto that he was starting to detest it.

_Fine,_ the boy grumbled to himself. _Training begins._

Armed with a sponge and a basin of soapy water, Naruto walked towards the faucet at the back of the cabin where his team was staying. He started to put the dishes one by one in the basin, when an unwelcome voice interrupted him.

"Oi, Naruto! How are the dishes doing?" Kakashi-sensei called from an open window on the first floor.

"I'm just starting," Naruto dutifully replied. Although he couldn't really see how washing the dishes would help him earn the Hokage title, he had to do it still. He must keep in mind to torture the Jounin when he was older. An evil grin spread across Naruto's face.

He could still remember the logic the same Jounin presented to him, during dinner, nevertheless. Naruto almost choked on a fishbone at the news he was to wash the dishes. He could even feel Sasuke getting ready to laugh at him if he did so. That's partly the reason why he chose NOT to choke.

"_Well, Sakura cooked our food and Sasuke chopped and gathered firewood for us. It's only fair that you do the dishes." _Straight from Kakashi's mouth. Naruto forgot to ask him what _he_ did. But never mind that. That's in the past. Right now, the boy's present consisted of half-washed dishes and an unusually bright-colored sponge. It wasn't exactly delightful but hey, that's a ninja's life.

Of course, Naruto protested at the idea of washing the dishes at first. He was a ninja, not some common housemaid! But even with all the protesting and all the debating, he ended up doing it anyway. Somewhere in the back of the boy's head, he felt that the only reason why Sasuke ate a lot is to add more workload in Naruto's hands. Then again, the Uchiha wasn't so childish.

He was a bastard, nevertheless. He ate a lot—which is both beneficial and detrimental at the same time. Not that Naruto can complain. He was a ninjas. Ninjas don't question the orders given to them. He's expected to understand them and afterwards, execute them.

During his dish-washing escapade, Naruto realized something. Dish washing is a deathly boring job (A/N: Maybe this is one of the reasons why dishwashers were created) and it's only now that he became aware of this. He was starting to spend a lot of time on a certain plate and daydreaming while he's at it.

Before long, Naruto was staring at the plate, the sponge lay forgotten in his hand. He was starting to see lines—funny, weird lines—that made no sense to him at all. In an effort to interpret these lines, he blinked rapidly. When the boy finally opened his eyes, there, on the porcelain plate in front of him, was Uchiha Sasuke's face.

It was Sasuke's all right. Same cold eyes, same dark—yet silky—hair, same strong jaw, same smile—the small arrogant yet captivating smile. What was he doing there?

Deep inside, Naruto knew but he wasn't ready to admit it yet. Seeing a person's face on a damn plate does not mean that Naruto's in the deep end. It only means he's headed there—fast. Naruto smiled in spite of himself and stared at the plate a while longer. He stopped thinking about it and instead, just looked at Sasuke. Thoughts only destroyed the moment. He didn't need reasons or clarifications anyway.

Because a ninja never questions. He understands.

_Epilogue_

Kakashi glanced outside the window and saw Naruto grinning at the plate—the one with pink flowers. He grinned too before muttering something like, "It's amazing what a bit of soap can do to you…"

And then, a few minutes later, he called out, "Sasuke! Your turn to wash the dishes tomorrow!"

A/N: Are there any mistakes again? Hope not. Anyway, if you see something that is _begging_ to be corrected, just tell me. Reviews please!


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